In the interview she stated, “I’m tired of being labeled. I’m an American. I’m not an African American; I’m an American.”

She also stated that while she has roots in Louisiana, she’s not sure where the rest of her heritage comes from, so that’s all she has to go by.

On the Awesomely Luvvie blog, writer Luvvie writes:

Ma’am, just because your hair is purple and blue doesn’t mean you are too. You’re Black. You also grew up in front of our eyes and got famous on the premier Black sitcom of our generation. You might not know exactly where you came from on the Motherland but the blood that runs through your veins is the legacy of slavery and the struggle of those that got you where you are. And I feel like it’s being disrespected when you deny your African-ness, your Blackness, your color.

“I never said I wasn’t black … I want to make that very clear. I said, I am not African-American. I never expected my personal beliefs and comments to spark such emotion in people. I think it is only positive when we can openly discuss race and being labeled in America.”